Enable GPU Raytracing Collisions in Niagara in Unreal Engine

In Unreal Engine, the Niagara VFX System is the primary tool for creating visual effects (VFX). It provides a powerful collision system that allows particles to interact with geometry. By allowing precise control over how particles interact with surfaces and objects, the collision system plays an important role in creating dynamic and visually appealing effects in games or simulations. Furthermore, offloading collision calculations to the GPU makes complex collisions more realistic.

In this article, let’s join iRender to explore how to enable GPU Raytracing Collisions in Niagara in Unreal Engine.

Collisions refer to the interactions and collisions between particles within a particle system. These collisions govern how particles react when they come into contact with each other or with other objects in the environment. 

The Collisions module in Niagara allows developers to define and control the behavior of particle collisions, including aspects such as bounce, friction, and spatial interactions. By configuring collision parameters, developers can create visually engaging and physically realistic effects, such as sparks bouncing off surfaces, fluid simulations interacting with obstacles, or particles responding to external forces.

When enabling GPU ray tracing collisions in Niagara within Unreal Engine, developers can take advantage of the GPU’s processing power to handle these particle collisions efficiently, leading to more complex and detailed collision behaviors in their visual effects. This technology offers a significant leap forward in creating stunning and realistic visual experiences within Unreal Engine.  

In Unreal Engine, you can use the Collision module to set up a particle system to collide with objects on a level-by-level basis.

In previous versions of Unreal Engine, when using a GPU emitter, you had a few options in this module. Typically, most use the Depth Buffer option, which creates an environment simulation. This was a low-cost solution, but it was also low-fidelity. The shapes were not described accurately, and if a particle left the screen, it would disappear immediately.

Now, GPU Raytracing Collisions is an experimental option in the Collision module. Therefore, you can use hardware ray tracing on the GPU. Whether the emitter and its particles were on screen or hidden behind an object, the collision would use ray tracing to calculate a more accurate result.

Note: The computation is asynchronous, so Niagara collisions will be one frame slower.

To use this feature, your project must be set to DirectX 12 and your GPU must have hardware ray tracing enabled. To enable these options, follow these instructions:

• Open Edit > Project Settings.
• Search for rhi.
• Set the Default RHI option to DirectX 12.

Next, enable ray tracing, also in your Project Settings.

• Search for ray tracing.
• Enable the options Support Hardware Ray Tracing and Ray Traced Shadows.

In the Collision module, adjust the settings to use this experimental feature. Set GPU Collision Type to GPU Ray Traces (Experimental).

Note: By default, Trace Provider is set to Project Settings. However, you can also manually set it to HW Ray Tracing.

You can set up a fallback in case ray tracing isn’t available. To do this, go to Edit > Project Settings.

In the Plugins > Niagara section of the settings, there’s a setting called Async Gpu Trace DI. It has an array set up with two options, HW Ray Tracing and Global Signed Distance Fields. When your options are set up like this, the system will try to use ray tracing first, but if ray tracing isn’t available, it will fall back to distance fields instead. These are the default settings.

You can add elements to the array or reorder it if needed. However, in most cases, the default settings will be sufficient.

By leveraging GPU ray-traced collisions in Niagara in Unreal Engine, developers can enhance the visual quality and realism of their projects. Whether creating dynamic particle effects, fluid simulations, or complex object interactions, GPU ray-traced collisions provide a powerful tool for achieving stunning visuals. Experiment with different settings, test your simulations and unleash the full potential of GPU-accelerated ray tracing in your Unreal Engine projects.

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Images and References: unrealengine.com